November 25, 2007

Jackson Browne has thrown his support behind Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards. Jackson Browne teamed up with Bonnie Raitt to join Edwards for a series of campaign stops in Iowa last week.

"I am proud to support John Edwards," said Jackson Browne. "We need someone with vision and courage to fix the big problems facing our country. We need to end the war in Iraq and make sure every American has health care. John Edwards knows what it is to have to work hard, and he'll stand up and fight to make sure everyone in this country has the same chances he's had."

"John Edwards is a leading voice for change in our country," said Bonnie Raitt. "He's been one of the only strong, effective advocates for ending the war in Iraq and bringing our troops home. And when he talks about creating opportunity, he isn't talking about creating opportunities for corporate CEOs to get ahead, he's talking about making sure regular, hard-working Americans have a fair chance to succeed. He is willing to fight for fairness and equality for all Americans, and for tapping the immense economic and employment opportunities of safe, renewable energy."

Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Browne were also co-founders (along with Graham Nash and Congressman John Hall) of Musicians United For Safe Energy, whose 1979 "No-Nukes" concerts remain watershed models for grassroots activism. Currently, they are mobilizing behind Nukefree.org, opposing federal bail-out of the nuclear industry.

October 31, 2007

Will there be new "No Nukes" concerts in the next following months in The States? Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Graham Nash, Bruce Hornsby, Shawn Colvin, Danny O'Keefe, David Crosby, Michael McDonald, Don Henley, Melissa Etheridge, Brett Dennen, David Lindley, Maroon 5, Nanci Griffith, Patti Smith, Michelle Branch and many other music artists are doing something...

Musicians Jackson Browne, Graham Nash, Bonnie Raitt as well as a growing list of concerned citizens (more than 120 000 persons) in signing a petition to Congress that will stop a pending bailout of the nuclear power industry : "Tell Congress that nuclear power is not a “clean alternative” and has no place in an Energy Bill that seeks to expand the role of truly safe and reliable renewable energy from wind, solar, bio-fuels, geothermal and other green technologies" they say... They also say nuclear power is not the answer.

March 11, 2005

The Commodores, Take 6 and American Idol Justin Guarini, Diana DeGarmo and John Stevens: More Than 33,000 Petition Signatures to Support Music Education for Congress.

March 10, 2005, at a special Congressional reception to support music education, Grammy Award-winning artists The Commodores, Take 6 and American Idol stars Justin Guarini, Diana DeGarmo and John Stevens presented more than 33,000 petition signatures signed by teens across America who want music in their schools. The evening culminated in a special performance by these legendary and emerging recording artists for members of Congress, their staff and families.

The celebration capped a full day on Capitol Hill for representatives of NAMM, the International Music Products Association, the American Music Conference (AMC), SupportMusic.com, The Commodores, Take 6 and the American Idol stars who spent the day visiting lawmakers on Capitol Hill to help bring much-needed attention to the benefits of music education and music making for children and teens.

"According to the Music Education Coalition, it's estimated that the current round of budget cuts will deprive as many as 30 million students of an education that includes music," says Justin Guarini. "That's more than 60 percent of those enrolled in grades K-12 nationwide. That statistic is incredibly unfortunate, because we know first hand that kids who study music do better in school and in life. This petition reinforces the fact that kids want and need music in their schools."

"Hundreds of thousands of kids are losing the opportunity to participate in school music programs because of drastic budget cuts in arts programs," added Joe Lamond, President and CEO of NAMM, which promotes music, music research and music education. "Music education offers too many benefits to developing minds for this issue to go unnoticed. We need to give kids the opportunity to have a well-rounded education, and we need to empower more of them and their parents to voice their concerns."

The petition to Congress on behalf of music education got its start in June 2002, when Justin Timberlake broke the news on MTV's Total Request Live. Since then, Teen People magazine, NAMM and AMC's free web resource for teens, themusicedge.com, have encouraged and empowered thousands of young people to get engaged in civic involvement and add their names alongside celebrities like Clay Aiken, Nick Lachey, Sean Paul, JC Chasez, Nick Cannon, Yellowcard, Amber Tamblyn, Ashlee Simpson, Pharrell Williams, Samaire Armstrong and Adam Brody.

During the month of March, NAMM advances national efforts to increase awareness and support for music as vital to a quality education for all children. NAMM urges parents, children, educators and community officials to support music education in schools by visiting Amc-music.org. Information on building local advocacy efforts for music education is also available at Supportmusic.com, a public service and grassroots advocacy initiative from the Music Education Coalition.

(Picture: Stars sing out for music in schools. In this photo provided by NAMM, the International Music Products Association, American Idol stars, John Stevens, second left, Diana DeGarmo and Justin Guarini, second right, sing with members of The Commodores at a special Congressional reception held in Washington DC on March 9, 2005 to support music in schools. The stars presented more than 33,000 petition signatures from teens across the country to members of Congress. Photographer: Ron Thomas).

November 03, 2004

Jon Bon Jovi, Carole King, Don Henley (Eagles), Sheryl Crow and James Taylor rumored to take a turn on stage at Sen. John Kerry's election night rally in Boston.

According to the Boston Globe:"Thousands of supporters will flood Copley Square tonight for a star-powered rally they hope will mark the unofficial start of John F. Kerry's presidency.
City workers, fresh from Saturday's massive Red Sox parade, put the finishing touches on staging and bleachers yesterday for the glitzy celebration that will bring to town a raft of Democratic headliners: Jon Bon Jovi, Sheryl Crow, Black Eyed Peas, Carole King, and James Taylor. Don Henley may also make an appearance."

Also, according to the Boston Herald and journalist Jack Meyers, Jon Bon Jovi and James Taylor are rumored to be two musicians expected to take a turn on stage at Sen. John Kerry's election night rally in historic Copley Square, Boston, this evening.
The area is scheduled to open at 7 p.m. although Kerry himself is not expected to appear until polls on the West Coast close at 11 p.m. EST.

James Taylor has participated in early October "Rock For Change" tour. The Vote for Change Tour, presented by MoveOn PAC,was a benefit for America Coming Together. Over 10 days, more than 20 artists have united for single cause by playing 33 concerts in 11 battleground states. They also performed together on one stage for the first time on Oct. 11 in Washington.
In one of the concerts, James Taylor said: "It's good to see you out in support of such an important effort. After the debates, I'm feeling good. I feel like our guy could do it."
Before Vote For Change, James Taylor has played five concerts to raise money for the presidential campaign of John Kerry.

According to James-Taylor.com:"James Taylor Joins Kerry On Election Night
James Taylot and Carole King will perform at Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry's election night victory/concession speech at the Boston Public Library in Copley Square. The event will be open to the public and at least some TV coverage is likely."

November 02, 2004

According to the Boston Herald and journalist Jack Meyers, Jon Bon Jovi and James Taylor are rumored to be two musicians expected to take a turn on stage at Sen. John Kerry's election night rally in historic Copley Square, Boston, this evening.
The area is scheduled to open at 7 p.m. although Kerry himself is not expected to appear until polls on the West Coast close at 11 p.m. EST.

James Taylor has participated in early October "Rock For Change" tour. The Vote for Change Tour, presented by MoveOn PAC,was a benefit for America Coming Together. Over 10 days, more than 20 artists have united for single cause by playing 33 concerts in 11 battleground states. They also performed together on one stage for the first time on Oct. 11 in Washington.
In one of the concerts, James Taylor said: "It's good to see you out in support of such an important effort. After the debates, I'm feeling good. I feel like our guy could do it."
Before Vote For Change, James Taylor has played five concerts to raise money for the presidential campaign of John Kerry.

According to James-Taylor.com:"James Taylor Joins Kerry On Election Night
James Taylot and Carole King will perform at Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry's election night victory/concession speech at the Boston Public Library in Copley Square. The event will be open to the public and at least some TV coverage is likely."

According to an article published by Associated Press, Patti LaBelle can't imagine George W. Bush will be the next President of the United States:"Patti LaBelle, the R&B diva, an ardent supporter of Democratic nominee John Kerry said she "can't even think about it" happening.
"Ii'm going to cry a lot, but I know that's not going to happen, because to many people have come out of the sleep that the've been in," Patti LaBelle told the Associated Press last week."

Patti LaBelle supports John Kerry. Patti LaBelle has a new album out: "Timeless Journey" (on Def Soul Classics) consisting of 13 tracks. "I'm gonna love myself," proclaims Patti LaBelle on "Timeless Journey". Rather than claiming this as a superior moral choice--no "Greatest Love of All" here, thankfully--the 40-plus-year music veteran takes pains to underscore the album's theme of self-reliance with a certain modesty. Her common-sense messages (it's no sin to take a spa day, go for that man if he's the right one, dump the one who's not) rest comfortably in tracks that feel more up-to-date than some of the neo-soul sounds she could rightfully lay claim to, but also don't do anything to alienate the crowds that have given her sold-out shows for decades. She's made more groundbreaking music than this, but Journey is likely to give solace to the many who also love Ms Patti LaBelle.

The president of the United States of America is guilty of copyright violation.
Or at least, his Vote for Me Again campaign is.
"Still the One," performed by 70s rock band band Orleans, is much loved by the public, advertisers and businesses, say Orleans members John Hall and Larry and Lance Hoppen in an Open Letter.
Written by Hall, "Still the One," from the band's "Waking and Dreaming" LP, was their second biggest hit, says a Wiki post.

"The cheery pop tune opened and ended a Bush campaign rally in New Hampshire Friday, then was to have vanished from the political playlist," says an Associated Press story.

John Hall complained about the campaign's use of the song at the president's events without permission, and "Out of deference to Mr. Hall's views, the song will no longer be played," George W Bush campaign spokeswoman Nicolle Devenish is quoted as saying in the AP piece, which also has her saying the song was included in a catalog of music that, "the campaign's licensing company used to provide music for events".

"ABOUT THE CONTROVERY SURROUNDING 'STILL THE ONE' AND THE BUSH CAMPAIGN
By John Hall, Larry Hoppen and Lance Hopen - Orleans

Orleans has unwittingly been caught up in a controversy due to the Bush Campaign's recent use of "Still The One". This open letter is an attempt to shed some light on the way U.S. Copyright Law and the standard practices of advertising, promotion and music licensing work in our industry --- and also some insight into how and why we responded the way we did.

First and foremost, we would like to say that we are and have always been flattered by how much the public, advertisers and businesses love this song. We were but mid-twenties youngsters when we recorded it, and to this day are gratified and honored that ABC TV, Keds, Burger King, NutriSystem, Applebee's and Flanagan'q restaurants, and many, many others have used our song because they feel it is a very positive message --- which is how we always intended it.

We regret that some people are offended by our efforts to protect the copyright and use of our work. However, Orleans was surprised last Thursday night by the announcement on CNN that "Still The One" was the new Bush campaign theme song. Without insult to the President, who campaigns for an "ownership society," this is above all else an issue of legal ownership.

Put simply, we make our living by writing, recording and performing music. In America, when any entity sees fit to use any song for any gain, the appropriate procedure - and one that has always been followed in our experience by the dozens of entities, large and small, in the 28 years since "Still The One" was first a hit - is to contact the Publisher (administrator of the Copyright) in order to obtain a License Agreement. In using a particular recording of a song - in this case the original hit version - the related procedure (which is again customary, accepted and adhered to) is to also obtain a license from the owner of that Master Recording, in this case a multinational corporation.

This is the equivalent of obtaining a building permit before beginning construction of your home. If construction begins before the issuance of a license, construction can be halted by the regulating authorities.

From here it gets a bit more complex but the following is crucial to what happened in this case. As has been pointed out in the media, the Bush Campaign did have a 'Blanket License' from BMI (Broadcast Music International), a firm that collects performance royalties when its affiliated songs are played on the radio or used in a 'bulk' manner by any Licensee - restaurants, nightclubs, etc. However, "Still The One" was chosen, and announced, as a major featured song on the Campaign trail, not as incidental background music." Repeated uses at major public gatherings covered by major media were clearly planned, and indeed last Thursday and Friday rallies using the song were broadcast by networks and cable channels here and around the world.

BMI cannot grant a License for that kind of promotional use. The Blanket License from BMI is not relevant to the issue. The featured use of our Copyright without permission of the writers and performers, and without a License, is the issue. The legal issue would have been the same, had the Kerry campaign used the song without asking.

Until Thursday night, Orleans sat on the sidelines in this campaign. We had not endorsed any candidate, performed at any public rallies or fundraisers. Like many Americans, we shared our opinions with our families and friends and planned on voting privately. After our song was featured in such a high profile way, we felt that it could be construed as an endorsement of the President, and we decided to make a statement correcting that impression.

But primarily, this is about intellectual property rights and proper licensing procedure. We appreciate that the Bush Campaign announced that they had stopped using the song out of respect for our concerns.

We are grateful that we live in a country where we can make a living playing music, and a country with a guaranteed right to dissent. We fully appreciate our privilege to 'speak' to many people through music. We are people of faith, parents, taxpayers, volunteers in our communities. We love our democracy, which has had a hallowed tradition of at least two parties throughout its history. Though we, and many other patriotic Americans, may disagree with certain policies of the current administration, we wholeheartedly support our troops and grieve for those lost or wounded. We have performed for Armed Services here and abroad and in the last few years been proud that our single "Lady Liberty" was played on Armed Forces Radio.

Like all Americans, we need economic security in order to support our families AND the security of knowing that our work and our ownership of that work is respected. We say again that we regret if anyone was offended by our simply standing up to make that point.

Election 2004: A letter from Patty Larkin and Dar Williams to support John Kerry and John Edwards. Well known artists Patty Larkin and Dar Williams have written a letterr to support John Kerry and John Edwards for the election 2004. Several artists have already signed it (Karla Bonoff, Jonatha Brooke...). Here it is:

"Dear Friends,

We the undersigned singers/songwriters/strummers and dreamers believe that the upcoming presidential election will have an impact on our country and the world community for many decades to come. We believe that in order to reach the positive goals of peace and unity, George W. Bush must go. To this end, we support JOHN KERRY FOR PRESIDENT. We urge you to join us and do the following in order to ensure that Kerry wins back the White House in 2004:

1. Vote for John Kerry

2. Contact your local Democratic party and offer transportation assistance getting Democrats to the polls.

3. If you are voting in a swing state, vote for John Kerry. Ralph Nader is not an option in a race this close. Winner takes all in American elections. This means that if Ralph Nader gets 3% of the vote, he doesn't get 3% of the voice. The president gets 100% of the voice (and cabinet selections).

If you are planning to vote for Ralph Nader, you can sign up at VotePair.org, where people in non-swing states agree to vote for Nader in exchange for Kerry votes in swing states. It's legal, and VotePair's founder (and Dar Williams' friend), Jamie Raskin, says that Ralph Nader has endorsed it this time around.

4. Don't give up on trying to bring one more vote to the Democratic Party. Talk it up!

Thank you for being part of our community. We look forward to working with you for a better tomorrow!

November 01, 2004

Music Legend Slams Bush Campaign Over Song Theft
by Harvey Wasserman
October 30, 2004
From: http://www.freepress.org/columns/display/7/2004/976
George Bush may be getting the same kind of legal and musical advice as he gets from his military and environmental strategists.

Amidst a torrent of bad news, yet another George W. Bush fiasco has erupted with his attempt to use the rock standard ''Still the One'' as his theme song without bothering to ask its author for permission.

Rock and roll legend John Hall has issued a cease and desist order. John Hall says he doesn't want his song "used to promote the candidacy of someone who has been a disaster for the environment." After widely announcing "Still the One" and blaring it at public rallies, Bush now says he won't use it.

John Hall says he was "unwinding" after a long work day when he heard Lou Dobbs on CNN announce that the Bush campaign had adopted his song. The news report then featured it being played at a George W. Bush rally in Ohio. "Our jaws dropped as "Still The One" came pouring out of the speakers," says John Hall. "Johanna Hall's words, Larry Hoppen's voice, our harmonies and instrumental work and the emotion that went into it..."

John Hall wrote "Still the One" with his then-spouse Johanna Hall, and made it a rock standard with Lance and Larry Hoppen, his cohorts in the band "Orleans".

In 1979 John Hall helped found Musicians United for Safe Energy (MUSE), aimed at stopping nuclear power. MUSE staged five sell-out concerts in New York's Madison Square Garden and then a huge rally at Battery Park City, near the site of the World Trade Center. In all some 300,000 people flocked to hear Hall, Bruce Springsteen, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, Carly Simon, James Taylor and others denounce atomic reactors and demand a green future.

John Hall later became an elected public official in upstate New York. He performs for environmental causes, and now serves on the board of legendary sloop Clearwater, which campaigns to clean up the Hudson River Valley. John Hall says he and his band recently turned down a $10,000 offer to perform for the Maryland Republican Party.

On October 29 John Hall had his attorneys serve the George W. Bush-Dick Cheney Campaign and Ed Gillespie, Chair of the Republican National Committee, with a cease and desist order, saying their use of "Still the One" constituted a clear copyright infringement. "As the promoter of an "ownership society," says John Hall, "the issue of intellectual property rights" is something "the president should know about."

The Republicans now say they won't use "Still the One" to promote George W. Bush's campaign.

John Hall says he had planned to quietly vote for John Kerry. But since the story spread he has been telling the media what he thinks.

"Whether it's rejecting the Kyoto global warming treaty, rewriting the mining regulations to allow tons of debris from mountaintop mining to be dumped in West Virginia streambeds, or allowing salmon in hatcheries to be counted the same as wild salmon for the purposes of the endangered species act, this administration can be counted on to side with the polluting industries and against the health of the people and the environment," John Hall says.

"These policy changes have been hidden under the radar, kept out of the headlines by the war in Iraq. But they constitute just as real a threat to our national security."

Maybe Bush will be a little more careful in the choice of his next theme song. But then again….

October 31, 2004

John Kerry supported by Jackson Browne. Jackson Browne has put the following message on his website:

"Don't forget to VOTE -Join or Host a Phone Party on Election Day
Dear MoveOn member,

Forget the laundry. Let the dirty dishes pile up in the sink. Break out the TV dinners and tell the kids to do their own homework. On Election Day, we'll need every last person to pitch in.

If you're not able to travel to a swing state, please take some time to help call voters there and remind them to go to the polls. It's worth missing a few hours of work or school to help swing the most important election of our lifetimes. Together, we'll call half a million swing state friendly John Kerry supporters who are unlikely to vote -- unless they hear from us. In this incredibly tight election, they could make all the difference.

MoveOn volunteers have worked hard over the past months to find these battleground-state occasional voters. On Tuesday, we've got to make sure they vote! All you need to host a party is a computer and a printer. All you need to attend is a cell phone. Either way, we'll guide you through it step by step. And it's an efficient use of your time: you'll do more to beat George W. Bush on this single day than any other. Late afternoon and evening are the most crucial hours. You could also host a lunch hour phone bank.

The party you host could just consist of you and your friends, or you can open it up to the whole MoveOn community. Every time MoveOn members have gotten together -- from bakesales to the opening night of Fahrenheit 9/11 -- we've had fun. On Election Day, we have one last chance to come together, meet each other, and play a key part in taking our country back.

And think about taking the day off from work or school. Play hooky for John Kerry. What are you going to remember in 10 years? The memo you rewrote? The lecture you slept through? Or the way it felt watching the returns come in on Tuesday night, knowing that our national nightmare is coming to a close and you helped put us over the top?